Missing the Mark
How Chapter 70 Education Aid Distribution Benefits Wealthier School Districts and Widens Equity Gaps
It is imperative, in the face of increasing income inequality, economic uncertainty, and the growing challenge for businesses to hire talented and skilled employees, that Massachusetts has public schools that provide a high-quality education to each and every student. That requires appropriate funding. In this report, we find that $778 million in the fiscal year 2021 budget proposal, or 14% of the total annual state Chapter 70 appropriation to aid public schools, goes to districts regardless of their ability to fund K-12 education on their own. Much of that total, almost $500 million a year, goes to the wealthiest 20% of school districts in Massachusetts. The current combination of unmet student need and the new financial circumstances and ensuing economic fallout created by the pandemic requires that we revisit whether Massachusetts should continue to subsidize wealthier communities at the expense of students still waiting for equity in educational opportunity.